Naruto: Hero of the Waterfall
by Sullie-Superhuman
Summary: Naruto Uzumaki no longer belongs to Konohagakure. He now holds ties to a new village, and a new person. Find out what happened to young Naruto, and see where his future lies. NaruFū
1. An Uneasy Reunion

Hello, everybody! This will be my second fanfiction I'm attempting, considering I wasn't too happy with my first attempt. I hope you all can enjoy this story!

Naruto: The Hero of Taki

An Uneasy Reunion

Sulliesuperhuman

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_Konohagakure Forest…_

Running through the giant woods of Konohagakure no Sato, two figures could barely be seen. The first one, which was obviously a female, wore a very revealing outfit. It consisted of a white shirt that cut off above her naval, showing off both her stomach and the mesh armor she wore underneath it. Her arms were covered in white armlets, with the right one having an unrecognizable hiati-ate. She also had on a mesh shorts that had a white skirt overtop, a slit going down one side to allow movement.

She had odd features; ones that definitely made her stand out. The first was her hair color; it could only be described as a pale mint green. A small orange clip kept her bangs from her eyes, which were the most alluring feature of the unknown female. They were a light orange that seemed to shine with the surrounding light.

"We're almost there, you know?" She said, looking over at her partner.

"Hn." The male voice responded.

Her companion was much more conservative and intimidating. He stood tall, nearing six feet, and had a filled in form to match. The only visible clothing was his billowing black cloak, which he had buttoned up, with the hood up. His face was only concealed by white porcelain mask, which had an intricate blue design on it.

"You don't have to be so uptight. I know this is going to suck for you, but I'll be there, too." She said, her orange eyes showing a bit of sympathy.

"I know, I know. I appreciate it; Fū-chan. means a lot."

The female, now known as Fū, gave a simple nod. Before anymore could be said, she bounded off the tree, landing on the next branch. Her mysterious companion quickly followed suit, soon taking the lead. In the near distance, they both could see a large wooden gate with a symbol of a leaf.

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_Hokage's Office…_

Tsunade Senjuu, fifth hokage of the hidden leaf village, was currently sitting at her large desk. On one side of it, was a stack of papers about two feet in height, and on the other—a smaller stack, maybe five inches in height. The buxom blonde sighed as she sat back in her chair, and began massaging her temples. The endless paperwork was giving her the mother of all headaches.

She quickly decided she would remedy that little problem with her own special medicine, namely a nice cup of sake. She reached into her bottom drawer, which was always kept locked, and swiftly pulled out a bottle. She was just about to pour a glass when her door opened up.

"Tsunada-sama!" Shizune charged in, yelling.

"God damn it, Shizune, what is it!"

"Tsunada-sama, there are two ninja's who claim to be from Takigakure at the front gate. They said they need to talk to you and that it's an emergency." The black haired woman replied.

Tsunade's face went from irritated, to confused, to assertive. She put back the bottle of sake, and folded her hands onto the desk. "Tell the ANBU at the gate to escort out guests immediately to my office."

"I'm on it, Tsunade-sama."

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_Front gate of Konohagakure…_

Two ANBU stood at the front gates, in front of two newly identified Takigakure ninja. The first one was a female clad in a white outfit which revealed a lot of skin, while the other was a male in a billowing cloak. There was complete silence between the four of them, until one of the Konoha ANBU put his hand up to his ear.

"Roger that."

The man said not another word, but turned on his heel and began to walk. He waved his hand forward, signaling both his partner and the other two to follow him.

The walk towards the Hokage's office was very quiet. The female ninja was looking around the village excitedly, her orange eyes taking in all the details. Her partners face remained forward, trained on the backs of the ANBU.

Before they knew it, they were walking up the stairs and were at the door to Tsunade's office. The ANBU knocked on the door, and they were all given permission to enter the room, which they did silently. The door was shut behind them, and the four ninja stood at attention in front of the Godaime Hokage.

"Inu. Hebi. You both are dismissed." Tsunade said, with a wave of her hand.

Two puffs of smoke filled the room, and as it cleared, the two ANBU were gone. Tsunade took in the two ninja, sizing them up. She could tell they were strong, and it must be a matter of some importance if such a small village was sending out two strong shinobi for a meeting with another village.

"I'd like to welcome you both to Konohagakure no Sato. I am Tsunade, the Hokage. Might I ask who you two are?"

The white-clad girl smiled brightly and nodded, "Well I'm Fū."

Tsunade nodded, and then looked at the still mysterious figure, "And you are?"

Fū quickly jumped in, and in skittish voice said, "He would prefer to stay anonymous, Tsunade-sama. It's a privacy thing."

"You two are in my village, in my office. I'd suggest you follow my request, Fū-san." The Hokage said her voice strict and unwavering.

Fū almost argued her point with Tsunade, but her companion raised his hand up, signaling her to stand down. He slowly dropped his hood off, revealing blonde locks of spiky hair not covered by his mask. He silently unbuttoned his cloak, and split the ends apart, revealing his wardrobe.

He was wearing a short-sleeved orange shirt with an open blue vest on top of it. He had a pair of standard blue pants that were taped off at his ankles, letting his sandals cover his feet. His body stiffened up, and you could hear the man breath in deeply. He resumed his movements, tilting his head down, and removed his mask.

He had a handsome face, with sharp features, despite his obvious young age. The unique thing was, he face was adorned with six black lines on his cheek, making deep black marks that looked a little like scars. He then lifted his head, and looked at Tsunade directly.

She then saw the bluest eyes she had ever seen, the same pair she thought she would never see again. Those same eyes belonged to the boy that convinced her to come back to Konoha. The boy that once held the determination that her both her brother and lover once shared.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

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Well, there you guys go. That was the first chapter of my new story, and hopefully it'll work out. Not a lot was revealed, but that was my point. I'm sure you'll have a lot of questions, but I'm sure they'll all be answered eventually. Until my next update, have fun and stay safe.

Sulliesuperhuman


	2. The Fox leaves the Den

Why, hello there again. Glad to see you decided to come back and read the second chapter of this story. I know the first chapter wasn't up to par of some things, so I took all of the advice. A lot of this chapter is flashbacks, but it'll fill in some gaps for you. Hope you all enjoy!

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_Hokage's Office…_

"Uzumaki Naruto." Tsunade said, more to herself than anyone. Her voice was low, obviously filled with shock.

"Yeah, it's me Tsunade-obaa." The blonde boy replied, his voice solemn, as he trained his eyes to the ground once again.

There was a minute of silence after that. To anybody else there, other than Fū, they would have found the atmosphere heavy and depressing. That girl had the unique ability to keep a happy perspective on everything; only the most devoid situations could bring down her attitude.

"BAKA! Where the hell have you been? Do you realize we have been searching for you for THREE YEARS NOW! We thought you were dead! "Tsunade yelled out of nowhere, slamming her fist against her desk.

"Baa-chan, listen-"Naruto tried to say before getting interrupted.

"No, YOU listen to ME. I don't know what the hell happened, but do you realize what you did to everybody else? Poor Sakura lost not _one_ teammate, but two! Kakashi, the lazy bastard he is, couldn't help but blame himself for the longest time!"

"I Know! You think I didn't _want_ to come home," He said, a bit of anger leaking into his voice, "that I didn't _want _to see all my friends? I couldn't come back. Not yet."

Throughout this whole exchange, Fū stood there silently. She already knew this story. When she had first met him, three years ago, they had an instant connection. They had shared their dreams and stories with one another.

Tsunade didn't say anything, not yet. She clapped her hands, and two ANBU appeared next to her. She continued to look at Naruto, but spoke to them, "Both of you are to go and find Team 7. Bring them here immediately."

Both of the mysterious figures gave the affirmative, and disappeared in another plume of smoke. She had a straight look on her face, "Don't say anymore. You're going to explain this, _to all of us_."

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_Training Ground #7…_

"Take this one, Kakashi-sensei!" A young woman with pink hair yelled, throwing her right fist out with full power.

Kakashi jumped backwards, watching as Sakura's fist collided with the ground. Several cracked spider webbed from the point of impact, and the jonin shuddered. In the last three years, the pink haired girl had improved her techniques greatly. She had gone from a third wheel to a determined kunoichi who was taught by one of the deadliest ninja's still alive.

He touched down on the ground, several meters away from Sakura, and quickly had to bound backwards once more. A black and white snake, seemingly made out of ink, attempted to bite at his ankles, but getting nothing but air.

"Nice teamwork guys, but you'll need to step it up a notch if you want a chance at getting me!" The lazy jonin yelled, hoping to get a reaction out of his students.

Blurring into sight, a pale-skinned figure stood next to Sakura. He had black hair, and wore an odd outfit with a ninjato strapped to his back. His face held almost no emotion, and he seemed to be a little awkward.

"Sai, you struck too soon. Next time ease your opponent into sense of security, which is when you should strike. Remember, 'look underneath the underneath'." Kakashi said, reciting one of his favorite sayings.

He went to continue his little speech, when he felt two arms snake around his body, and place him into a full nelson. He regained his focus and looked forward, just in time to see 'Sai' melt into a pile of ink. He had to hand it to him, the boy caught on quick.

"Kakashi-san, I have you captured, and Sakura-san is guarding your front. It'd be ill-advised for you to resist, I do believe we win." Sai spoke in a dull tone of voice.

"Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu!"

The two ninja growled in aggravation. They were so close to victory, and now they were up to their necks in dirt-literally. They heard a clapping sound, and moved their heads as much as they could. Standing with his back against a tree, Kakashi could be seen applauding.

The grey-haired jonin stood up straight and began walking towards his two subordinates, and held his hands in the ram handseal. He muttered something, and both Sakura and Sai could feel the earth loosen up. They both wiggled their way free, before staying down taking a deep breath.

"That was good work you two, you're definitely getting better. I have to hand it to you, Sai, you're use of the Sumi Bunshin has gotten much better. As for you Sakura, you fell into the role as support nicely. You came at me to buy enough time to cast a small genjutsu, preparing Sai for the assault."

"Nyah, but Kakashi-sensei, we still can't beat you." Sakura said, sticking her lip out with a playful pout. She stood up slowly from where she was, brushing off the excess dust from her spandex shorts. She walked next to Sai, and offered him a hand up.

"I've also got many years of experience on you, Sakura. Both of you have an amazing amount of potential, that is only waiting to be tapped-" Before Kakashi could say anymore, he was interrupted by an ANBU appearing.

"Hatake-san, you and your team's presence is required at Tsunade-sama's office. That is all." As quickly as the man was there, he was gone.

"You guys heard him, seems like the Hokage wants us for something. Let's go." Kakashi said, beginning his walk towards the Hokage tower.

Sakura and Sai both gave the affirmative, and ran to catch up with him. Sakura stood to Kakashi's right and Sai stood to her right. They took a small detour, with Kakashi mentioned something about 'not arriving on time', and found themselves at their destination.

"Kakashi-san," Sai spoke up, "Do you have any idea what this meeting's for?"

"No, Sai, I don't. This is as much a surprise for me as it is for you. Now let's get up there, wouldn't want to keep Tsunade-sama waiting too long."

Kakashi reached forward and turned the doorknob, allowing the three of them access to the office of the Hokage. They all calmly walked in, and that's when things changed. Kakashi eyed Naruto first, and he went stiff. Both Sakura and Sai bumped into the man, and were about to voice their complaints when Sakura's eyes went wide.

"No. It can't be. You can't be _him_. Who are you?" Sakura shouted, bringing her fist up to her side. She took a step forward, intent on closing the distance between them, before Kakashi grabbed her wrist.

She looked up at her sensei, and noticed that he had his Sharingan revealed, the tomoe spinning slowly around the pupil. She knew she could have easily overpowered him; there weren't many people that she couldn't any more. She hesitated, however, and put her hand down.

"Sakura-chan….Kakashi-sensei." Naruto said his voice barely a whisper. He made direct eye contact with them, he owed that to them at least. His blue eyes had seemingly changed. They weren't those determined light blue orbs, nor were they the hard controlled ones. They were now a color that truly encompassed his mood, sad.

"I'm assuming you are Naruto, am I correct?" Sai spoke up for the first time since entering the room. The two of them made eye contact.

"You my replacement?" He replied.

"Ahem," Tsunade said, coughing into her hand, "now that everybody is here, I think a bit of explaining is in order; isn't that right, Naruto?"

The blonde haired boy nodded, and everybody paid there full attention. Even Fū moved a little closer to Naruto, offering her emotional support.

"It all started when I caught up to Sasuke, at the Valley of the End." Naruto began.

**(Flashback, 3 years ago, Valley of the End)**

"_Sasuke!" A young Naruto yelled, atop the statue of the Shodaime Hokage._

_Across from him, standing on the equally large statue of Madara Uchiha, was Uchiha Sasuke. He had his arms crossed, and a smug look on his face._

"_I don't know what you're doing here, dobe, but get lost. I have places to be." Replied the dark-haired Uchiha, his voice having no recognizable fear in it._

"_I won't let that snake bastard take you! Even if I have to break every bone in your body, I'll bring you home. That's a promise."_

_Sasuke, tired of wasting time, simply turned around and began walking away from Naruto. The blonde was not one to be ignored, especially just being walked away from. He ran towards the end of the statue, and upon reaching the cliff, bounded off it with a chakra-enhanced jump. He flew through the sky, and targeted Sasuke's open back._

_He made his mark, and slammed his fellow ninja to the ground—hard. He flipped him over, and got on top of him. He raised a fist, and brought it crashing down onto Sasuke's cheek, a loud sound emitting from the contact._

"_Are you done being a stubborn prick, teme?" _

_Sasuke spat a glob of blood on Naruto's face, a smug grin marring his face. "Not even close." _

_A red pattern exploded from his shoulder, and trailed across his body. It snaked up his neck, and settled halfway across his face. The burning red quickly dulled to pitch black, and it resembled the pattern of flames._

_With the new rush of power, Sasuke was able to throw Naruto off of him, and quickly got back to his feet. He watched as the blonde got back up, and they both stared at each other, attempting to read the others next moves._

_Naruto was slightly worried at the turn of events. He could vaguely remember Sasuke receiving that mark from Orochimaru, but could recall completely the effects. A knot formed in his stomach as he stared at that one yellow eye, the other still its natural black._

**(Flashback End)**

"We kept fighting from there. It was a close battle, "Naruto said, "The tide kept changing. I had to get a little help to keep up with Sasuke."

Everybody looked at Naruto with complete focus. Naruto himself was taking a slight breather, his emotions welling up once again. A few more seconds of silence, and Naruto was able to collect himself.

"I can't really tell you how long it lasted, but to us, it seemed like only seconds. We were each on opposite sides of the mountain again, preparing the final move.

**(Flashback)**

_The waterfall crashed down with ferocity, and on each side of it were two ninja. Sasuke was on the left, his form grotesque. He had sickly-colored skin and a black shuriken shaped mark on the bridge of his nose, which was an obvious effect of the curse seal. His normally black hair had turned to an ashen grey, and had lengthened to his mid-back. His most prominent feature, however, was the pair of massive wing-like hands protruding from his shoulder blades._

_Hundreds of feet opposite of him, Naruto was crouched in a feral position. His blue eyes were now a blood red, and he now had slits for pupils. The six marks on his cheeks were now edged in deeper, as if somebody outlined them. Surrounding his body was a cloak of red chakra, a single tail swinging back and forth behind him._

"_This is it, Sasuke!" Naruto yelled, holding out his right hand. Chakra began swirling inside the shell of chakra, his blue chakra mixing with the Ky_ūbi's_ red chakra. The final result was a Rasengan that exceeded the size of all his previous ones, in a majestic purple color._

_Sasuke had nothing more to say, and simply made three handseals. He thrusted his right hand down, gripping his wrist with his left hand. A loud crackling sound was being emitted, and lightning encompassed his entire hand. Not a second later, it exploded into a larger, black form._

_Both teenagers jumped off the cliff, heading for one another. Naruto had released a large amount of chakra, propelling himself towards Sasuke at high speeds. Said Uchiha was using his newly grown wings to flap his way towards the blonde-haired jinchūriki_.

"_RASENGAN!"_

"_CHIDORI!"_

_The two attacks collided, and each of the boys attempted to overpower the other. The Rasengan was grinding against the Chidori's blasts of lightning, trying to eat away at its power. Not long after the initial collision, the violent energies constricted, forming a black orb around the two of them._

_Water was being raised from the stream, and rocks were torn from the edges of the waterfall. The orb continued to expand and grow, its gravitational pull increasing with it. _

_Inside of it, Naruto and Sasuke continued to push. They both gave way, and their respective attacks connected. The Chidori struck Naruto's gut, searing through skin and muscle, allowing Sasuke's hand freedom out of his back._

_Naruto's Rasengan was slightly thrown off course, and ran down the entire length of Sasuke's left arm, splashing blood all over._

_The black orb exploded, sending both Naruto and Sasuke flying towards the ground. They both landed with a heavy 'thud'. Sasuke was the first one to get up, albeit with much trouble. His left arm was a wreck, both muscle and bone could be seen._

_He rose to his feet, and looked down at the unconscious Naruto, more specifically, his stomach. The edge of the wound was cauterized by the heat of the Chidori. The weird thing was that it was still smoking. The diameter of the wound was closing, slowly, but closing._

_The sight of this rapid healing sent Sasuke off the edge. "LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO MY ARM!" _

_He flung a kick at Naruto's side, flipping Naruto onto his stomach. He repeated his action, skidding his target across the ground. With a final kick, Naruto was sent into the river, and was swept away in the current._

**(Flashback End)**

The looks on everybody's faces, excluding Sai, were that of sorrow. They couldn't believe the fight that Naruto had fought, and the injuries he had taken. The fact that he was able to so vividly recall the events told a lot of his mental strength. Tsunade, being a medical expert, had seen shinobi twice Naruto's age mentally repress events half as horrific as that.

Sakura was in the same mindset as Tsunade. Her medical training told her that the blonde-haired boy _shouldn't _be standing in front of her right now, that he should have bled out in seconds. The fact that he was so close to death and it was all her fault. She had made him promise to bring Sasuke home, and he had told her he would do anything to do it.

Kakashi and Sai's faces were stoic and controlled, although for totally different reasons. Sai had no knowledge, other than what the others said, of Naruto. With him just learning how to feel emotions again, somebody so distant had no effect on him. Kakashi, however, was filled with guilt. He was the one that taught Sasuke the Chidori, and had ignored Naruto. It was his fault.

"The last parts are a bit blurry," Naruto suddenly said, his voice breaking everyone's thoughts, "but after that, I was traveling downstream. When it ended, I had no idea where I was. It wasn't until a couple days after that things got interesting.

**(Flashback, 5 days later, Unknown Location)**

_Slashing down another patch of large grass, Naruto stepped forward. He wiped the sweat off of his brow, and looked up. He was attempted to estimate the time of day, and which way he was going. Unfortunately, Naruto was not the greatest at tracking. It was a little past noon, from what he could tell, but he had no idea about the direction._

"_I really need to find something to eat," The blonde said, a loud groan came from his stomach as if to emphasize his point, "but I don't think there's another stream near here for fish."_

_He continued walking forward, but heard some sounds coming from his left. Sprinting over there, and taking cover behind a copse of trees, he peeked through._

_He spotted a boy, who couldn't be older than sixteen, holding off another male, although this one seemed older. It was apparent that the older person had the advantage, his thin blade easily parrying the younger boy's kunai._

_Naruto, being the kind of person he was, couldn't walk away from somebody who was in need. He didn't create a plan, however, and just jumped in._

"_Tajū Kage Bushin no Jutsu!"_

_Enough clones were formed that instead of many separate smoke clouds being formed, a gigantic one was manifested. Blasting through the smoke, at least twenty-five copies ran towards the older man, while the real Naruto grabbed a hold of the younger one's shoulder._

_Naruto looked back, and before he broke into the woods, he saw the man getting overrun by the large amount of clones._

**(Flashback End)**

"Tsunade, do you know who the kid I saved was?" Naruto asked his fellow blonde, and chuckled when the woman couldn't come up with an answer.

"I have no idea, who was it?" She asked, tilting her head slightly to the side, an obvious hint as to how clueless she was.

Even in the depressing mood, Naruto found a way to give his classic grin. His eyes squinted along with it, and he rubbed the back of his head. "His name was Shibuki. Son of the former leader of Takigakure."

"So you mean-"Sakura began to say, before being interrupted.

"Yes, after bringing Shibuki home, they offered me asylum in their village," He began, "I originally intended to only stay a week or two, to get my stuff together. Then a week turned into two, and before you know it, I was an official genin of Takigakure."

This little piece of information sat the wrong way with Kakashi. This whole time he had thought Naruto had died, and it was because of his idiocy as a teacher. "So you could have come back, but chose not Naruto? How could you do that!"

Naruto's eyes snapped towards Kakashi, and the jonin flinched. The way Naruto was looking at him was no longer like a boy glaring at a superior, but as an predator staring down a prey.

"Don't give me that bullshit, Kakashi." Naruto spat back, a venomous attitude releasing itself into his voice.

"Excuse me?" The one-eyed jonin replied, shocked at the open disrespect that Naruto showed.

"At least Taki accepts me. I don't have to worry about being glared at everywhere I go. I can actually live there in _peace_." Naruto continued, a small rant coming into birth.

"I won't stand here and be criticized for my choices. I'm outta here." Before anyone could object, Naruto's body disappeared with a gust of wind.

Totally in shock of what just happened, the occupants of the room all looked at Fū. The green-haired girl looked around sheepishly.

"Naruto-kun has a bit of a temper, you know." She said, a statement more than a question.

Tsunade sighed, feeling a headache coming on. She looked over at Kakashi and said, "I think you need to go find him, Kakashi."

Looking down, Kakashi knew that Tsunade was right. He shouldn't have had an outburst like that. He should be happy that Naruto returned, for whatever unknown reasons. He nodded, and left the room.

"Uh, Fū-san, if you'd like….I could show you around the village?" Sakura offered.

"Sure. Sounds like it could be fun." She replied.

Tsunade nodded and said, "That's fine, but Sakura, you have to stay with Fū-san at all time," Tsunade ordered, "It's no offense, but you are a foreign ninja."

Fū nodded happily had Tsunade, and allowed herself to be lead out of the Hokage's tower, and into the village of Konoha.

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Well, there's chapter two for you guys. I hope this chapter explains more for you guys. We found out more about what happened to Naruto, and I'm sure there's more to come. Well, until my next update, enjoy yourselves.


	3. The Hunt for Gaara Begins!

Welcome to Chapter 3! Not much to say right now, so I'll just get on with the chapter.

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_Konohagakure, Shopping District…_

"Ah, Sakura-chan, this looks so cute!" Fū exclaimed, holding out a shirt.

The pink-haired girl turned around from the rack of pants she was looking at to see what her fellow kunoichi was holding. It was a mellow pink top that had a small white top that tied in the front across the chest. Sakura walked closer to it, and took it from Fū's hand.

"It is cute," Sakura began, "I think I'll get it. Now we have to get you something." She finished, a big smile on her face.

"Sounds like a plan to me, Sakura-chan!"

The two of them walked away from the part of the store they were at, and opted to check out other parts. Sakura showed off many different things to Fū, who eyed them with a critical eye. She turned down a couple of the articles of clothing, but ended up picking out a tight-fitting green top.

The two girls marched their way over to the cash register and put their clothes on the counter. The cashier pressed a couple buttons, and told them the prices with a smile on her face. Before Fū could pull out her money, Sakura had laid down enough money for the both of them.

"Uh, Sakura-chan, you don't have to pay for me." The green-haired girl said.

"It's no problem, Fū-chan, it's my treat."

The cashier bagged up both items, and gave each girl their purchase. The kunoichi exited the building, both of them deciding to get some food after all the shopping they had done. Sakura, thinking it would be nice to show Fū a bit of the Naruto that _she _knew, began heading towards Ichiraku Ramen.

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_Konohagakure, Hokage Monument…_

The Hokage Monument was one of the most sacred areas in Konoha, along with the Memorial Stone. These places were places where people could go to, and bask in the silence. It gave a sense of security, in a way, as those who have passed on were still protecting you. Many people took advantage of these places, such as Naruto.

The blonde haired jinchūriki found him on the formerly mentioned spot. From that vantage point, he could see all of Konoha, and the citizens walking around. He was currently sitting on the Yondaime's head, just like he always had a younger boy. It had been his dream to one day surpass the man who was herald as the greatest Hokage of all time, so he believed if he could get close enough in a physical sense, achieving that goal would become easier.

He chuckled at that dream, his old dream. It was nothing but a dream now, for he no longer held allegiance to the Leaf now. He was a chūnin of Takigakure no Sato. He ran his hand through his messy blonde hair, and stopped halfway when he felt a presence.

"Come sit, Kakashi." Naruto spoke.

The grey haired jōnin was slightly surprised at how quick his former student had detected his presence. He hadn't been there more than a few seconds before he was offered a spot next to Naruto. He decided to question it later, and slowly took a seat next to him.

"Naruto…"

"Its fine, Sensei. Don't apologize, I don't deserve it." Naruto spoke solemnly.

"Deserve it? What do you mean?"

"What was it you use to say 'Those who break the rules are trash…but those who abandon their comrades are lower than trash."

Kakashi grimaced, although you couldn't see it through his mask. He _had_ stated that, and he was sure Naruto felt as if he betrayed them. Before he could take any longer to think, Naruto was speaking again.

"Would you like me to explain why I didn't come back?" Naruto asked, turning his head to look over at his old teacher.

The look on Naruto's face was genuine care, and Kakashi didn't have it in his heart to deny the boy a chance to redeem his actions, so that at the very least, Naruto could free his conscious of this burden. The jōnin didn't trust his voice, not at this point, so he merely nodded.

"I made a promise, to Sakura-chan, right before I left. I promised her I would bring the bastard home, no matter what," Naruto began, "I never give up or go back on my word, that's my nindo. When I was in Taki, it dawned on me; what kind of ninja would I be if I went back on my word."

"Before you say anything, though, "He continued, "You're probably wondering why I'm here without Sasuke. It wasn't my choice, but I was best suited for the mission. We're here for an offer. That's all I'll say for now, until we can get everyone back together." He finished, his story done.

Kakashi was about to pry a bit more, hoping to get some additional information, but the look on Naruto's face showed that the conversation was over. He relaxed his body, his shoulders dropping, and he set his face forward. Just like Naruto, the gray-haired jōnin enjoyed the view. He did, however, prefer the solace standing point of the memorial stone.

"Ne, Kakashi-sensei, how strong is Sakura-chan now?"

"Physically or ninja-wise?" The cyclops retorted.

Naruto's face screwed up in a look of concentration, and he scratched the back of his head. "Uh…both, I guess?" He said, unsure.

"Well, she's a chūnin now. Passed the exam the second year you were gone. She can pack a punch though, literally. She was taken in by Tsunade-sama as an apprentice, and she now boasts the same super strength."

"Well that's just great, now you guys got _two_ ridiculously strong women running around the place." The whiskered blonde said.

"What about you?"

"Me? I'm a chūnin, too. Sousui-sama told me that after I get back from this mission, I can take the jōnin exams." A cocky grin on Naruto's face told Kakashi that he wasn't lying, and that he was immensely proud of himself.

XXXXXXXX

_Konohagakure, Ichiraku Ramen…_

"Here you go," Teuchi said, holding two bowls of ramen. He placed a bowl of miso ramen in front of Sakura, and a bowl of vegetable ramen in front of Fū.

Both girls gave thanks, and grabbed a set of chopsticks from the jar in between them both. They snapped the two utensils, and with a cry of 'itadakimasu', they dug into the noodles.

Slurping up a long noodle, Sakura chuckled at the popping sound the end of the noodle made. She licked her lips, enjoying the leftover taste, and looked over at her minty-haired companion. "So, Fū-chan, what's your home like?"

Snapping to attention at the sound of Sakura's voice, Fū coughed while punching her chest, choking slightly at the sudden surprise. "Uh, excuse me, Sakura-chan?" She said, now under control of her body.

"What's it like, living in Takigakure?"

"Well," She began, bringing a single finger to her chin, "It's different than here. Not as big, or crowded, as this village. It's _really_ humid there too, you know?"

"I see. The only other hidden village I've been to is Sunagakure. Then again, we have an alliance there, so it's a pretty common practice."

"Taki is a pretty secluded place; the council and Sousui prefer not to associate with the other villages. We're here because it is in the village's best interest." Fū replied nonchalantly.

"How sensitive is the information you're bringing?" The pinkette asked.

"Sensitive enough that I can't tell you without the Hokage's consent, you know?" She replied, knowing what Sakura was getting at.

Silence came down upon the two females again, and they ate in quiet. The only sounds were of Teuchi and Ayame conversing, and making fresh batches of ramen.

XXXXXXXX

_Konohagakure, Hokage's office, Later that day…_

The Hokage's office was comfortably filled, and an air of seriousness was distinctly present as well. The occupants of the room were only the ones that were required; Tsunade, Kakashi, Sakura, Sai, Naruto, and Fū. The only reason Tsunade allowed Team Seven to join in on the meeting was because of their former affiliation with Naruto.

Tsunade was sitting at her desk, her hands folded in front of her, with her chin resting on them. Sakura and Sai were both sitting on the two person couch, a healthy distance in between them. Kakashi was leaning up against the wall, arms crossed around his shoulders. Tsunade had brought in two more, fashionable seats that were placed directly in front of the Hokage's chair. Naruto on the left, and Fū on the right.

"Alright, Naruto," Tsunade began, her tone changing into a more formal one, "now that we're all back together, let's continue from where we left off. Why are you, and Fū-san, here in Konohagakure?"

The two mentioned ninjas turned their heads, and gave each other a deep look, one that seemed to last forever. To anyone else, it probably meant nothing, but to them it was so much more; a silent conversation.

"Well, Baa-chan, you obviously know I'm now a ninja for Takigakure no Sato now. Well, typically, it's a pretty peaceful village—preferring to keep out of inter-village relations, so that no major conflicts occur."

"Yes, yes. At this point in time, I can honestly say Konoha doesn't even know the exact location of your home." Tsunade admitted, quite reluctantly. The leaf village was one of the great five, the strongest of military powers, yet they couldn't find a single lesser-known village.

"Yeah, well Kusa does—as of 'bout half a year ago." Naruto stated flatly, the true nature of the topic finally arising.

Tsunade's amber eyes widened at that last statement. Her experience as a ninja told her how the rest of the conversation would go, but she would let her fellow blonde explain the situation a bit more.

"Six months ago, a Kusa Jōnin happened across our borders, and by some unknown way, found the general location of Taki. Since then, there have been repeated attempts to infiltrate our village. They've got more manpower than us," Fū picked up exactly where Naruto left off, "their repeated attacks are wearing us thin. It's hard to keep up the missions and our home defense."

Tsunade formed a steeple with her fingers, and perched her chin on her middle fingers. Her eyes bore deep into Fū's, analyzing each word. "Is this going where I think it's going?"

Naruto's mouth opened, so the trained ninja snapped her attention back to him. "Tsunade-obaa, we need help. Sousui-sama said we might not be able to last much longer, a couple months at best. If we can get a little bit of extra power, two teams—"

Before Naruto could finish, Tsunade's door slammed open, and a nondescript man ran in. "Tsunade-sama! Please forgive me for my interruption, but we just received an emergency message by one of Suna's fastest birds!"

"God damnit it! I had specific orders not to be disturbed!" The Slug Sannin roared. She slammed her hand on the desk, and a couple papers flew by.

Everybody else in the room's eyes were zero'd in on the man who had interrupted such an important meeting. They could all see the sweat that coated the man's forehead, no doubt due to having six trained ninja staring you down, with a bit of killer intent being released into the air.

"S-sorry, Tsunade-sama. I-I a-apologize," The man stuttered.

"On with it!"

"Here!" He shouted out, rushing forward to the woman's desk. He handed her a paper, and quickly ran out of the room, probably thankful for being out of that situation.

Tsunade aggressively picked up the paper, and began reading it. The anger soon left her eyes, and it was replaced with worry. Her hands gripped the paper tightly, and it crinkled. By the end of it, the paper was ripped in half, and a white fury could be noticed.

"What's wrong, Tsunade-sama?" Kakashi spoke up, voicing everyone else's thoughts.

"It says here, "She said, attempting to gather her cool, "That the Kazekage has been abducted. By two unknown ninja's garbed in black cloaks with red clouds."

"Akatsuki." Both Naruto and Fū said in unison.

"What are you guys talking about?" Sakura asked, her curiosity too strong to keep quiet any longer. Beside her, Sai sat with no outward show of emotion.

"They're a dangerous group of S-class Nuke-nin," Naruto stated, "intent on capturing certain people." He claimed. As he spoke, he made a subtle gesture to his stomach, and Tsunade caught sight of it. The only other person who would've caught it was—maybe—Kakashi, but he was positioned behind the blonde jinchūriki.

"How do you both know of this?"

"Jiraiya." Naruto said, that single word bringing forth a whole new set of questions.

The Hokage's eyes widened and she couldn't believe what she was hearing. If Naruto was being honest with what he was saying, that meant that Jiraiya had kept contact with Naruto throughout the years, and hadn't told her.

"I'll explain anything you want after ordeal is patched up, Baa-chan." Naruto said. "As of now, we've got to go help Gaara."

"Team Seven, are you fully prepared?" Tsunade said, looking over at Kakashi.

Kakashi stood up straight, no longer slouching. He may have been a lazy porn-addict, but he was also one of Konohagakure's elite ninja, and he knew when it was time to be serious. "Give us ten minutes, and we can be mobilized."

"Alright then; Kakashi, Sakura, Sai. You three will accompany Naruto and Fū to Suna. You will report to whoever is in charge there, now, and get the details. Help them with anything they need. Dismissed!"

With a resounding cry of approval, all five ninja's disappeared in various ways. Tsunade was left alone, to her own devices, and she could only sigh, "Jiraiya, you have a lot to explain when you get back."

XXXXXXXX

_Konohagakure, Kakashi's Apartment…._

Kakashi appeared in his living room by using an advanced version of the shunshin, one that did not create swirling leaves or a plume of smoke—just the user simply disappearing. He didn't have much time, under ten minutes, before he had to be at the front gate with his team.

For most situations, Kakashi would make the assembled team wait for his presence, for at least ten minutes, but he couldn't do that now. This job demanded his full attention, and his full cooperation. That meant he had to let go of his normal persona. He adopted the same attitude he had in ANBU, which was how he became one of the top captains.

Quickly entering his room, the cycloptic jōnin went straight to his closet. He slid the door open, and looked at the contents. He grabbed his mission bag, which he always kept prepared, and slung it across his shoulders. He then looked at the shelf that was about chest height, and grabbed ahold of various bound scrolls. He slid each one into one of the pockets on his chest pocket, and exited his room.

"Kakashi." A female voice said.

'_shit.'_ Said man cursed in his head, turning around. Standing in front of him was Yūhi Kurenai, the genjutsu mistress of Konoha.

"Where are you going, Kakashi?" She spoke again, her red eyes glaring into Kakashi's black one.

"I have a mission….I've got to get to Suna. I'll probably be gone for a while." He replied, his voice kept cool.

"Be safe." Kurenai replied, rushing forward. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and held him tightly.

Kakashi reciprocated the motion, and wound his arms around her waist, holding her tight. He planted a small kiss, through his mask, on her forehead.

Before she could realize it, Kakashi was gone.

XXXXXXXX

_Konohagakure, Front Gate…_

Touching down upon the ground once again, Kakashi stood up straight. He noticed that he was the last person to arrive at the gate, and he sighed. At least he wasn't late. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, and took a step forward.

"Alright, here's the plan. We'll move full-speed. I'll take point. Naruto, you'll be to my right with Fū behind you. Sai, you have my left with Sakura behind you. Any questions?"

He scanned his lone eye from one person to the next, and each time he was given a definite no. "Alright, then. Since Naruto seems to know about the people we're dealing with, when we arrive in Suna, he'll take lead."

"Are you sure, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, realizing that a seasoned veteran was going to pass authority over to him.

"Do you doubt you skills, Naruto?"

"No, but—"

"No buts, that's final. Let's move out!"

XXXXXXXX

_Sunagakure, Middle of the desert…_

"Can't that thing move any faster?" A deep, raspy voice said.

"Why are you in such a hurry, un?" Another, more feminine, voice replied.

"I'm tired of waiting; I'd like to get this done."

The two figures, dressed in matching cloaks, continued to bicker. The first one, the one with the raspy voice, was a unique individual. He was short and hunchbacked, standing two and a half feet tall; he had corn rows for hair, and dark colored skin. The bottom half of his face was covered by a mask.

The second one, his companion, had a more normal appearance. He stood tall, nearly six feet tall, and had long blonde hair. The bang was swiped to one side, covering his left eye. He had pale skin.

Soaring above the two of them, about eight feet off the ground, was an abnormally white bird. It had a deep bill, which was full with a body, whose legs stuck out slightly. It made no sound from its mouth, the only indication it was there was the slight breaking of wind as its flapped.

"We're about a day's time away from the spot; Leader-sama will be waiting for us…Deidara." The short one said.

"Alright, alright. We'll hurry up, Sasori no danna. Relax, un." The man known as Deidara said.

Left behind them, laying half dead in the dunes of Suna, was a man who was twitching slightly. The young man was in a black overall suit, with the hood having two distinct points. Purple war paint marked up his face. Nearby, a hand of a puppet twitched slightly, and opened, showing a piece of a mask.

XXXXXXXX

Well, here you go guys! Things are finally starting to pick up. Akatsuki's got a hold of Gaara, and the hunt to save him is on. We'll finally get to see more of Naruto's new abilities, as well as Fū's. So let's do Ol' Sullie a favor and review! Tell me whatcha think!


	4. Path to the River

SullieSuperhuman here, and ready to present to you the fourth chapter of this story. The beginning of the Rescue Gaara arc is here, and it's time to show the Akatsuki what they're made of. On with the story!

XXXXXXXX

_Sunagakure, front gate, two days later…_

In the distance, the team that consisted of Team Seven, along with Naruto and Fū, could see the giant gates of Sunagakure. It was a light tan color, and was obviously made out of some sort of sandstone. They were shut completely shut, sealed tight to the outside world.

On top of the gates was the typical guarding patrol. It consisted of four chūnin and a jōnin. These ninja were tasked with the ultimate security of the village, to make sure that no unauthorized personnel infiltrated.

One of the Chūnin was looking out into the large expanse of desert, and squinted his eyes when he saw several black dots moving towards them. He grabbed a pair of binoculars from his bag, and brought them up to his eyes.

"Taichou! We have five unidentified shinobi, heading towards the gate at full speed. Estimated time of arrival; five minutes."

The leader of the group quickly rushed to where the man was, and looked. They were still on high alert, considering not even forty-eight hours ago, their Kazekage had been abducted. He signaled his team to get in front of the gate.

The lined up in a straight line, two chūnin to either side of the leader, ready to initiate combat. They settled into combat stances when a large burst of chakra came from the group, and their speeds nearly doubled.

In less time than they could comprehend, they could make out the five figures, which soon slowed down until they were in front of them.

"Halt! State your name and business here!" The jōnin yelled.

Kakashi, still being the leader of the team, took a step forward. "Hatake Kakashi from Konohagakure, accompanied by; Haruno Sakura, Sai, Uzumaki Naruto no Takigakure, and Eison Fū no Takigakure."

The Jōnin waved his hand, and his four subordinates all relaxed their postures. He stepped forward as well, about two feet from Kakashi. There was a small stare down between the two, "I know that a Konoha team was being sent for backup, but why are Takigakure shinobi doing here?"

Kakashi was about to reply, but Naruto stood forward. "We're here to assist the Konoha team. Gaara is a personal friend of mine, and I owe him."

The jōnin looked surprised when Naruto spoke up for himself, despite his age in relation to the man's. He was about to retort with a denial, before a young female's voice was heard.

"Naruto-kun, is that you?"

The entire group, both sides, looked up. Riding upon a fan the size of her, a sandy-blonde girl was waving. The girl shifted her footing, and the fan preformed a dive bomb, and a large cloud of sand was kicked back.

Before it could linger in the air for too long, it was blown aside by the same girl. She stood a tall height, taller than the average female, and was clothed in a black kimono. She had a red sash around her shoulder, which allowed her to hook her fan.

"Temari-chan? Hey!" Naruto replied, waving his hand energetically.

"It IS you," She smiled, "and Fū-chan, you're here too." Temari acknowledged.

Naruto nodded happily, a bit of joy filling him to see an old friend. Fū gave the blonde girl a happy wave; a friendship between the two was obvious. The interaction between the three of them made Kakashi quite suspicious, but he vouched not to say anything this time.

"I hate to cut the reunion short," Sakura said, "But we're here for a mission. Temari-san, we're here to help find Gaara."

Looking over at Sakura, Temari gave the pink haired girl a nod. "First of all, Sakura-san, we need your medical help. Kankuro, my brother, was poisoned. We've tried everything, but we've had no luck. We were informed that you were the apprentice of Tsunade no Densetsu no Sannin."

"Alright, lead me there." Sakura said, she then looked at Kakashi, "I'll meet up with you guys before we head out."

The cycloptic ninja gave her a nod, and he led the rest of the team into the walls of Sunagakure. They were chaperoned by the leader of the security team. They were soon brought to the Kazekage's tower, where they then had to follow the tan hallways to the office.

Knocking on the door, the group heard a gruff voice telling them to enter. They obliged, and noticed who was sitting behind the desk. It was a man who wore the standard Suna uniform, but had a veil covering half of his face. They recognized him as Baki, Gaara's sensei.

"Hello everyone. I'm glad you all could make it." Baki stated, waving for everyone to take a seat. When they were all comfortable, they began the debriefing.

"Baki-san," Kakashi said, "Naruto-kun here has more experience with these ninja, so he'll be taking over from here."

Giving a firm nod, Baki realigned his eyesight to the blonde boy. "Gaara was abducted Forty-four hours ago, by two nuke-nin. The first one, who actually defeated Gaara, had blonde hair. He used some sort of detonating clay, and threatened to destroy our entire village."

"The second one was only seen by Kankuro, who is currently hospitalized. We were able to gather that he was none other than Akasuna no Sasori—a missing ninja from our very village."

Naruto listened intently and made sure to remember all this information. He had been given the basic details of almost every member of the nine-person organization; courtesy of Jiraiya. If he was correct, the partner of Sasori was a man named Deidara, who was a ninja that fled from Iwagakure.

XXXXXXXX

_Sunagakure, Hospital…_

"Saikan Chūshutsu no Jutsu!" Sakura yelled loudly, all the other nurses giving her more room to work with.

This is the scene that Sakura's teammates walked into. The girl had just finished making a small incision right in the middle of Kankuro's chest, and she was pouring in a clear fluid. Her hands glowed a bright green, and she pressed her palms against the bare skin.

Sakura slowly raised her hand, and a small amount of the fluid came out, only this time colored purple with the extracted poison. The control that this technique required was great, so much that Sakura's forehead was already dripping with sweat.

"Whoa…"Naruto said.

Sakura did not stop, but continued on. Her hands once again rested against the puppeteer's chest, and raised her hands again. This time, however, the fluid did not cease to come out. She tugged harder and harder, and more of the poison was being removed from the boys system.

"Aghh!"

A deep breath was let go by the pink-haired medic. In between her hands, was a large orb of the medicinal fluid, full of the poison that had threatened Kankuro's life. She signaled for a nurse to grab a dish, and she let her control collapse, letting the fluid fall.

"He'll be fine for now, use that…make the antidote." Sakura ordered, clearly out of breath.

She didn't stay long, she walked up to the team, and gave them a smile. "Kankuro'll be just fine, I got most of the offending poison. The antidote will clear up the rest."

A collective sigh of relief came from the group. They were just about to leave, when Kankuro made a sound. Kakashi walked up to him.

"What's wrong, Kankuro-san?"

"K-Kakashi," He moaned, before opening his hand. His fingers took turns twitching, and a sound of movement could be heard.

The jōnin looked behind him, and saw the hand of one of Kankuro's puppets open. Inside was a tattered rag. He looked back at the puppeteer and with a questioned look asked him what it was.

"Akasuna…no….Sasori." He gasped, before falling asleep.

Nothing more was needed to be said, for Kakashi pieced it together. During Kankuro's fight with the Akatsuki member, he was able to take a piece of his clothing, which would allow them to track him. Kakashi walked back to it, and grabbed the cloth, securely packaging it and putting it in his pouch.

"Shiroi Kiba!"

Hearing the familiar alias of his father, Kakashi snapped his head around, only to see an elderly woman descending upon him with a kunai. Kakashi easily backstepped the strike, only to have to rotate around a stab.

Naruto, being the person he was, created two clones and had them charge the woman. The elder saw this coming quickly, and before Naruto could do anything more, his clones were dispelled.

"Excuse me, Baa-sama," Kakashi said, in between dodging, "may I ask what you're doing?"

"You know why!" Chiyo yelled, while flipping backwards. She was prepared to finish it off with a poison technique, but was stopped when her name was called.

Standing in the middle of the hallway, Temari stood there. She had her hands on her hips and a fierce look on her face. She strolled up, and stood in between both Kakashi and Chiyo.

"Chiyo-Baasama!" Temari yelled, "What are you doing? This is the team Konoha sent to help us." She finished, her voice no longer yelling.

"Konoha? Have we truly sunk so low, asking for help? In my days, we were strong enough to deal with our own problems." She said, staring at Kakashi. It was a few seconds after, she had realized her mistake.

"You, you're not the Shiroi Kiba, are you?"

"No, that was my father."

"Guys," Naruto said, his voice loud enough to gather everybody's attention, "I hate to break this thing up, but we gotta go find Gaara!"

"Naruto-kun's right, Baki-sensei would like to see you guys before you go off." Temari said, leading the way out of the hospital.

XXXXXXXX

_Sunagakure, Front Entrance…_

"No, Temari, you can't go." Baki said.

"What! What do you mean I can't go, it's my brother for kami's sake!"

Baki grimaced at his former student's reaction. He, being the Kazekage's lead advisor, was given temporary kage status, and as such, got to make all the decisions. As much as he hated this choice, it had to be made. "Being Gaara's sister, we need you here. If you go, and are hurt, morale will drop too low."

"But—"

"No buts."

The argument was clearly over, and the team felt bad for Temari. They could all say honestly, that they would want to be part of the mission as well, if they were in the same situation. They all then began their farewells. Just as they were about to depart, they heard Chiyo yelling.

"I'm coming with you!" she stated

Baki was about to argue with the elder, but she held her hand up. "As the honorable elder of the village, I supersede your decision. Sasori is _my _grandson, and as such, I shall be the one to take him out."

It was decided, with Sai making a sly comment about Chiyo's age, that the Suna elder would accompany them for their journey. Kakashi stood in front of the group, and bit his thumb. He flashed through a series of handseals, and slammed his hand onto the ground.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" He proclaimed, and a small white cloud appeared around his hands.

Sitting down on the sand, with a dry look on his face, was Pakkun. Kakashi's personal summon, and a ninken that could speak the human language.

"Kakashi, what's up?" He said, his voice surprisingly deep for being such a small breed of dog.

Reaching into his pouch, Kakashi produced the same piece of cloth that Kankuro was able to give to him. "I need you to track the dominant scent of this cloth."

Walking over the sand, Pakkun gave the piece of material a long sniff, and nodded. Lifting his head, he sniffed the air a couple of times. "This way." He said, before walking in the direction.

"As stated before," Kakashi began, "from here on out…Naruto's in charge."

Chiyo's eyebrow visibly and she made it a point to voice her opinion, "Why the hell is the younger brat in charge?"

"Chiyo-Baasama," The grey haired man said, "Naruto is a capable ninja. He has the most information on the group we're going after."

Despite not liking the idea too much, the old woman decided to keep quiet for now. As they began their run, she analyzed each and every one of the teammates; finally landing on Naruto. Something struck her as odd about the boy, but she couldn't place her finger on it.

'_Why are you so intent on finding Gaara, boy?'_ She thought to herself.

XXXXXXXX

_Kawa no Kuni, Hidden base…_

Standing on the tips of the fingers of a large statue, stood nine figures garbed in the same cloak; all black with red clouds stitched on it. Seven of them, however, appeared to be in a multicolored, static-like form. The other two appeared normally, as they always would.

"One day left." A man spoke. He had spiky hair and six visible piercings on the bridge of his nose. His face remained still, for he was baring his entire focus on the person in front of him.

Gaara was floating above the ground, shrouded in a red aura. Out of his mouth, and eyes, golden chakra was rushing from his body. He was no longer screaming, for he had entered the realm of the unconscious in the first hour of removal.

The entire process was long and arduous. The nine members of Akatsuki members were forced to meet together at predetermined destinations, by way of astral projection or actual appearance. From there, they would summon the Gedō Mazō statue, which was used to seal the bijū that resided in the hosts.

The entire removal and sealing took a total of three days. It consisted of each member channeling their chakra into the statue, for the full three days, and allowed the statue to devour the chakra and spirit of the demon.

"Holy shit! I'm tired of fucking doing this!" One of the members said. He had a tall frame, and a large three-bladed scythe was attached to his back.

"Shut up Hidan, and do your job." Another man replied. The man, like the rest, wore the Akatsuki cloak, and had a mask that shielded the lower half of his face.

"Fuck you, Kakuzu, all you care about is your damned money! Jashin-sama would be disgusted with you!"

"For one thing, I couldn't care about your destruction-loving god. The other thing is simple; money makes the world go around."

Before the argument could progress, the leader of the Akatsuki signaled for them all to be quiet. He had heard enough of their bickering, and they were still stuck with each other for the next twenty-four hours.

XXXXXXXX

_Kaze no Kuni, Desert…_

The large group all landed deftly on a random expanse of sand. Naruto and Pakkun were the first to land, followed by Fū and Kakashi, and the rear was brought up by Sakura, Sai, and Chiyo. Sakura looked like she was slightly out of breath, but looked over at Naruto.

"Naruto-kun, why'd we stop?"

Kneeling down onto the sand, Naruto scratched the top of Pakkun's head, the dog raising his muzzle in a sign of happiness. "We need to take a small break. We need to stay hydrated, or we'll be useless in the upcoming fight."

Not saying anything else, Sakura realized just how thirsty she was. She nodded, and reached into her backpack, and pulled out a water bottle. Everybody followed her lead, and took out their own waters. Naruto looked over at Pakkun, and held his water bottle out.

"Here ya go." He said, pouring some on the dogs tongue.

"Thanks, Naruto." The Pakkun replied happily. The water on his tongue was really refreshing, and he was surprised that the blonde was kind enough to share his water.

"No problem. So which way are we headed now?"

Instead of answering, the brown canine lifted his black nose again. A couple sniffs later, and he turned around; only to repeat the process. "This way."

"Ne, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said, "Isn't that heading towards River country?"

Looking over in the direction Pakkun had pointed them to, he squinted his one eye. "Yes, I do believe so."

"Alright, everyone, the rest is over. We gotta get to River Country soon….Gaara's counting on us." The blonde said.

The entire team nodded, and quickly dispersed. Their speed of leaving caused a small dust cloud to be kicked up, covering their tracks. As they ran, Chiyo was able to get Kakashi's attention, and motion for him to come to her.

Slowing his stride, the jōnin matched his pace with the elder woman. He synchronized his steps with hers, and glanced at her. "Is there anything I can help you with, Chiyo-Baasama?"

"Yes, Kakashi. Tell me, why does Naruto care so much about Gaara? He's not from either of our villages." She stated, referring to Naruto's Taki headband.

A pang of sadness shot through Kakashi, the mere reminder that the blonde no longer was a ninja of the leaf made him regret his actions from years ago. "Naruto…he used to be a Konoha shinobi. He and Gaara met, and they fought. Gaara released the Ichibi, intent on using its form to obliterate my village."

"You mean to tell me, that boy stood toe to toe with Gaara…in his released form?"

"You see," Kakashi countered, "Naruto's not that normal of a ninja either. He and Gaara have much more in common than any of the younger generation shinobi knows." He stated.

Chiyo's eyes widened at the implication of Kakashi's sentence. She stared at Naruto's back, and could even see from behind him the boy's determination.

"So…he bears the same burden….a Jinchūriki."

Neither Kakashi nor Chiyo knew that Sakura was listening in on what they were saying. The words they spoke intrigued her, and she was drawn to Naruto's presence. She had no idea what they meant by what they said, but she filed it in her memories, to be brought up at a more appropriate time.

"We're about to pass the boarder, into River." Pakkun said in dull voice.

The team's attention snapped at full attention, collectively processing the information. "I smell someone familiar nearby, Kakashi!" The dog added.

"Who is it, Pakkun?"

"If I'm right," The dog said, while sniffing the air again, "It's Gai!"

XXXXXXXX

_Kawa no Kuni, Hidden base…_

"Leader-sama," One of the figures, a grotesque plant-looking man, said, "It seems that we have visitors making their way towards here."

The leader, the one with piercings, looked over at the man. "Who are they, Zetsu?"

"IT appears to be a team of Konoha ninja, including Hatake Kakashi, and Chiyo from Suna. They are also with both the Kyūbi and Nanabi Jinchūriki's. It also appears that Maito Gai is en route to meet up with them."

"Hm…" The leader pondered. "Kisame, use thirty-percent of your chakra and create a clone to hold of Gai's team….as for the other, Itachi, I'll allow you to do the honors."

The shark man had a wide smile on his face, revealing a row of sharp teeth. "You got it, Leader-sama. Consider them stalled."

Itachi, however, was less enthusiastic. "It will be done."

"As for the rest of us, we must proceed quicker if we wish to finish before anything goes wrong."

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Well, there's Chapter four. Next chapter will have both Kisame and Itachi fighting the various teams, and the action shall begin. Please review; and tell me what you like, dislike, or what I can change. This story can only get better if I can get some constructive criticism. So, until the next update, have fun!


	5. Attack of the Weasel and Shark

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL! I bring you here, Chapter 5 of Hero of the Waterfall, as a present to you all. I hope you guys have enjoyed my story so far, and will continue to like it.

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_Boarder of Kawa no Kuni…_

"Guys, we gotta problem!" Fū yelled out. "I can sense a chakra signature heading towards us, fast." She finished, her orange eyes filled with suspicion. There should've been no way that Akatsuki was already on to them.

The group continued on, for they knew that they couldn't stop at this point. They also had the numerical advantage, if it was only one member. There were six of them going head-to-head against a single person—no matter the strength of the member, six people should be enough.

They each bounded off a particularly large tree branch, and landed smack dab in the middle of a rather large clearing. All around them were large trees, and they were standing upon an old, worn out trail which was probably once used as a trade route.

"So, I see you all have decided to join me," The Akatsuki member said, "how nice of you."

Standing in front of the group was none other than Uchiha Itachi. He looked exactly as Kakashi remembered; the same black hairs, the same Sharingan eyes—even the same emotionless face. The man bore the Akatsuki's cloak proudly, all but the last buttoned fastened.

Naruto's fingers tightened into a fist, he squeezed so tight his hand was shaking, which caused his fist to turn white. He took a step forward, resting the very hand on his chest, and glared at the man. "ITACHI! Give us back Gaara!"

"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun, but I cannot do that," He said, "for we need the Ichibi—just as we need the Kyūbi. Please save us the trouble, and come with us."

"Not in your lifetime! I'll never—"

"Then how about the Nanabi, surely you can hand her over?" Itachi replied, interrupting Naruto, a small grin on his face.

Naruto's face went pale, and he instinctively moved slightly towards Fū. This caused a general confusion amongst the group, and the blonde jinchūriki knew that the Akatsuki was aware of Fū's status. He grit his teeth in fury, and was about to say something before Fū spoke up.

"You think I'm just gonna give up, and waltz into your grasp," The orange-eyed girl yelled, "well you got another thing coming!"

Seeing that they had made their decision, Itachi waved his hand in a dismissing manner, and his body burst into a murder of crows, which flew off into all directions. The entire group could hear the cawing of the birds, and instantly began looking around. They began to worry when the man was nowhere to be seen.

Sakura's cry of pain echoed out as Itachi reappeared, and slammed his elbow into the medic's stomach. She was sent flying back, her body slamming into a nearby tree. The group immediately acted upon this, and Naruto and Fū engaged the man in hand to hand combat.

Naruto went in for a sweeping kick, just as Fū jumped up for a spinning kick to the man's head. Itachi took all the calculations in at a second's time, and acted accordingly. He jumped just enough to get his feet off the ground, and set himself into a horizontal spin. He felt the wind being split by both kicks. He landed so that he was behind the duo.

He lifted his arms, and shuriken flew out, attempting to strike the two Jinchūriki while their backs were turned. Fū ducked down and preformed a reverse somersault, while Naruto turned around. The shuriken was just about to pierce his throat when he deflected it with a kunai. Naruto roared, and followed by Fū, and charged Itachi.

The Uchiha saw them coming, and sighed. A shadow clone burst into existence next to him, requiring no handseals. The clone grabbed a hold of Naruto's arm, and flung him near effortlessly away from him. Meanwhile, the other Itachi punched Fū in the stomach, propelling her towards the blonde boy. Her body slammed into Naruto's, and a cry of anguish could be heard from the two of them.

"It seems as though you two are no match for me."

"Not so fast, Itachi-_kun_, you're forgetting about me." Kakashi replied, jumping at the Uchiha.

Itachi ducked underneath the kunai, that was being aimed to stab his throat, and he was forced to roll backwards to avoid the knee that Kakashi had sent flying. As he rolled back, he laid his arms out, and sprung into the air. He fixed his position in the air, and brought his hands together, and before a second had passed, he had already completed a familiar series of handseals.

"Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu!"

Kakashi rolled to his left, narrowly escaping the fireball that was released by Itachi. The jonin stopped his roll, sitting on one knee, and reached up. He grabbed a hold of the headband material that was covering his left eye, and raised it to where it was supposed to be.

The tomoe surrounding the pupil spun slowly around the center, the sign that the Sharingan was ready and active. Kakashi, who was now using his full sight, glared back up at the identical eyes that Itachi used. He knew that if it came down to the use of the dojutsu, that Itachi would win. It was at this point experience and skill would be the determining factor.

Itachi let off another fireball, and Kakashi smirked. It would take more chakra than usually required, but Kakashi preformed the handseals for a water technique. As he flashed through the seals, he concentrated on the water that could surely be found in the ground.

Kakashi let loose a single water drill, which did its job. It ran right through the fireball, causing a large cloud of steam to possess the area. This gave the masked ninja the cover he wanted, and needed.

Two presences appeared behind Kakashi, and he could tell they belonged to Naruto and Fū. Without looking behind him he spoke, "Are you two alright?"

Naruto grunted, signifying his health, and Fū quietly replied with a simple yes. Kakashi kept his trained eyes on Itachi, waiting for the man to make the smallest of movements that would give his actions away.

"Kakashi, me and Fū got this! Prepare to finish this!"

Before the masked ninja could say anything, Naruto and Fū shot forwards. Naruto made handseals while running, and released a gust of wind, banishing the steam. Their target was clear in sight, and they charged faster. When they were about five feet from Itachi they split up. Naruto rushed to the side, into the woods, and Fū continued on forward.

Fū quickly made it to Itachi, aimed a hook towards Itachi's cheek, but the Uchiha ducked under the strike. The Nanabi jinchūriki used her side momentum to spin and place a side kick into the man's side. This caused Itachi to spin backwards, before landing on his feet.

Itachi had no time to recompose himself any further for he had to jump back up into the air to avoid a blade of wind, courtesy of Naruto. While he was in midair, Fū reappeared in front of him. The two of them exchanged a short series of attacks, before landing back on the ground.

Seeing an opening, Itachi lunged to strike the girl in her stomach, and he knew that she was not fast enough to block or evade this strike. He was sorely disappointed when his fist made contact, and it was halted instantly. Pain erupted in his hand, which shook him to the shoulder, and he jumped backwards to evade a hammerfist to the top of his head.

"So, it seems as though the Nanabi Jinchūriki has more than we accounted for."

Fū smiled at that comment, and absentmindedly pat her stomach. That hadn't been the first time her abilities had surprised her opponents. She looked over at Itachi, who was still rubbing his knuckles. Fū took this chance to run at the man once more, preparing to end this.

Itachi's Sharingan eyes swirled fast, as he analyzed the girl's moves. He caught her first punch, and the caught her follow up punch. Fū laughed, knowing that Itachi was going to move the way he did. She struck a knee into his solar plexus, causing him to lean forward. He was sent into shock when he felt her head slam into his own.

With this strike, Itachi lost his grip on Fū, who quickly jumped backwards. She landed skillfully to the side, and nodded. This gave Naruto the signal to proceed with their plan.

The blonde haired boy jumped behind Itachi and finished making the seals he had been preparing, landing in the bird seal. "Fūton: Oshi Seishi no Jutsu!"

The air around Itachi suddenly felt heavier and not just a little heavier, but a lot more. He could feel his arms being pushed to his body, and his back hunching over. He was soon brought to his knees by the sudden oppressive force exerted upon his body.

Behind him, Naruto stood with his hands held in the bird seal. His body was shaking with the power it was releasing, and sweat beaded on his forehead. He grit his teeth, "Ka-ka-shi, NOW!"

Taking the signal, Kakashi rushed forward, his arms limply behind him with speed. He had closed his normal eye, allowing his ill-gotten Sharingan to keep track of everything. When he was within three meters away from Itachi, his hand burst into light; covered with electricity.

This Raikiri was much stronger than the usual one he cared to make, for one reason. The prison that was holding Itachi still was air-based, and as such, his lightning was elementally weak against it. He was counting on the extra power to negate the barrier, and before Itachi could react, kill him.

All went according to the plan, for Kakashi's arm pierced through the pressurized air and he struck Itachi right through the chest, his hand penetrating completely. The lightning died out, and the masked ninja pulled out his blood soaked hand.

There was a shimmer on Itachi's body, and a sick feeling took over the three combatants. Lying down, in a puddle of blood, was not Itachi—this man had no resemblance to the man. He had long blond hair, and fair skin.

"This can't be real….can it Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked, looking a bit green in his face.

"I have no clue Naruto."

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_Mountain area…_

"Gai-sensei, do you know this man?" Neji asked, his white eyes fixed on the man in front of them.

"I…." The questioned man replied, "do not."

Standing in front of them was a man who seemed more like a demon. He stood at an amazing height, nearly six and a half feet tall, and had skin that was a pale blue color. He was garbed in the Akatsuki's standard cloak, and had a long sword wrapped in bandages. The man grabbed the sword, in one hand, and hefted it in front of him; pointing at the group.

"So," He said with a toothed smile, "you don't remember me? It seems as though the beast has the memory of one as well!"

Kisame made his move, and threw Samehada high up into air, and looked at Gai dead in the face. He brought his massive hands together, a loud clap resounding from the contact. A large flare of chakra preceded this action.

"Suiton: Bakusui Shoha!"

The shark-like man arched his body backwards, and his mouth visibly swelled up. He heaved his body forward, and he expelled a large amount of water from his mouth. It hit with extreme pressure, so much that his body was lifted with the water.

Team Gai was in shock at how much fluid this man could produce with a single technique, and they jumped onto elevated ground. They were soon surrounded by water on all sides, at least ten feet deep. Just as Kisame dove underneath his created lake, the team arranged themselves back to back.

There seemed to be a time of peace, and then water shot up similar to a geyser, and the Akatsuki member arose from the column. He commanded the water to rush towards the team, and he raised Samehada into a slash position, and swung the bandaged weapon at the group.

On Gai's command, they separated, jumping onto nearby islands. The contact with the sharkskin sword caused their previous location to crack, and the man was once again underwater, undetectable.

"Gai-sensei," Neji said, "I cannot find him, his chakra is located in all this water—H e's camouflaged."

This disturbed the spandex-clad jonin very much. This man had flooded so much chakra into the surrounding water, that it was just one large chakra signature. He was in his home environment, which was clear, and he could hide without fear.

Tenten cried out in pain, and she was thrown back by a surprise attack. Kisame had landed a solid blow to her stomach with his fist, and she was sent flying backwards. Rock Lee reacted instantly and he jumped off his island, and caught her in mid-air, and landed on the water.

Neji and Gai both appeared in front of their comrades, protecting them from any further assault. Neji brought his hands together, veins protruding next to eyes—the signs of the Byakugan resurfacing. Gai settled his into the Goken stance.

Kisame surfaced from the water again, and ran towards Gai and Neji. Gai motioned for Neji to hang back, and the beast of Konoha rushed forward to engage the man. Just as Kisame swung horizontally, Gai jumped up, and landed on the sword. He fired a kick off, but Kisame lifted Samehada at the first sign, throwing Gai high up into the air.

"NEJI! NOW!"

The Hyūga complied instantly, and phased in front of the shark man. He held his palm out by his side, and curled his fingers. He rushed it forward and yelled out, "Hakke Kushou!"

A blast of pure chakra released itself from the boy's grip, and slammed full force into Kisame's chest, sending him towards a large rock. Before his body could connect, however, Rock Lee was descending upon his body. The green-clad chūnin preformed fast front flips before stretching out his leg.

"Konoha Shifū!"

Lee's foot connected with Kisame's head, and he was sure he would snap the man's neck, but was disappointed when the body turned to water. The sudden absence of a foothold left Lee off balance, and he too took a dive into the water.

Silently, Kisame was swimming underneath the water. He was using small bursts of chakra to propel himself faster, and he kept a keen sense on his enemies. He caught sight of the smaller green beast fell into his created water. He zoomed through the water effortlessly and was about to strike down Lee quickly, but pieces of metal split down into the water, right in front of him.

Kisame's small eyes widened at the sight of the kunais. Not only was the person skilled enough to send it through the water that deep, but they had wrapped them in explosive notes. He quickly flipped his body, and made for the opposite direction. The pieces of paper went off, causing explosions which rocketed Kisame further.

This momentary distraction allowed Lee the time he needed to get out of the water. He swam to the surface, and using the minute chakra skill he possessed, stuck to the water. He shook the water out of hair and saw that Tenten was back up and ready to fight. Her giant scroll was out, and a part of it was unraveled and hanging across her other arm. The dual bun wearing girl gave him a large grin, and a thumbs up.

"Don't worry 'bout it, Lee, I got your back!"

"Thank you, Tenten-chan! Your flames of youth are most impressive!"

Neji shook his head at his teammate's antics, and opted to get their attention. As soon as they were all gathered back together, they began looking for any signs of Kisame. Neji had forgone the use of his Byakugan; all the chakra engorging the water was effectively blinding him.

A maniacal laugh resonated, and the four ninjas tensed up. They focused their attention behind them, and watched as Kisame broke the surface of the water, and stood with Samehada placed on his shoulder.

"Ya know you guys aren't half bad." Kisame said. "But now I gotta stop messing around. It's about time to show you what it's like when you fight with the big guys."

The man made his point when he slammed his hand onto the water, and screamed out, five jets of water bursting from his hand. The bursts of water soon took shape, and there was now five sharks circling the small group.

"Suiton: Goshokuzame. These five sharks won't let up on their prey, you, until they get you."

The team was forced to jump as the sharks broke the surface and lunged at the group. Gai and Lee both struck a shark with a kick; but it simply went right through. Neji attacked them with a Jūken to its back, forcing it to revert back to water. Tenten had quickly summoned a sword, and slashed it only for the blade to do nothing.

The Akatsuki member created three water clones that waited as the team fell back to the ground. Kisame rushed Gai, while the three clones attacked his team. The vicious taijutsu exchange continued on, and Gai flipped over a particularly harsh slash, and aimed himself to land a down kick to Kisame's head. Before he could make connection, spikes ripped out from Samehada's bandaged, halting the man's movement.

Gai looked around, and saw that his students were caught in water prisons, so it was all up to him. He continued on with his attack, which was quite difficult considering Kisame's sword was now slightly revealed.

Kisame's grin grew largely, and Gai found out quickly why. He felt a searing pain in his ankles, and when he looked down he saw water sharks. The two sharks painfully pulled the Jonin down into the water, where they began to ravage his body with their teeth. He could feel his blood seeping out of his body, making him dizzy and unresponsive. He managed to look up, and saw Kisame stalking towards his students.

'_I…I can't let them down. My precious students..."_

Gai crossed his arms in front of his face, and channeled his chakra, '_Kaimon, Kai!'_

Veins on his forehead enlarged with the enhanced blood flow, and Gai could feel his muscles tense up before loosening. He knew he needed to go further though.

'_Kyūmon, Seimon, Sh__ōmon, KAI!'_

Releasing three gates simultaneously put a slight strain on the man's body, but Gai didn't care. His veins further enlarged, and his chakra system flooded with newly produced energy. As the fourth gate was unleashed a warm sensation took over him. The bite marks on his ankles closed up, and his bruises rapidly disappeared.

'_Still not enough power…Tomon, Kai!'_

The inner warmth from Gai's body escaped it, and began evaporating the water surrounding him, a testament to his power. He silently tapped into the sixth gate, and the water erupted, allowing him access to the air. He bounded off the water spires, and soon caught up to Kisame.

"So you still have fight left in you!" Kisame yelled, swinging his sword.

Gai didn't move this time, he swung his leg instead. The power in his leg, added to the speed of his kick, caused fire to surround his foot. It met with bandaged sword, and knocked it out of the way. He used the momentum of his kick to spin around, and planted another punch into Kisame's chest.

Gai then took an odd stance, and a red aura surrounded his body. It seemed to look like a peacock with its head down, mimicking Gai's head. As soon as Gai's head snapped up, the peacock's head did the same, its beak opened wide.

"Asa Kujaku!"

In the next five second span, Gai released a volley of punches that were too numerous to count. On the final strike, a full powered punch to the face, the peacock surrounding Gai cried out, and slammed into Kisame, sending the man straight into his own water.

This action caused the disruption of Kisame's water prisons, letting loose the rest of Team Gai. They all rushed forward and caught their sensei, and watched as all the water evaporated. They all walked over to the fallen Akatsuki member, and were thoroughly shocked at the outcome.

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_Depths of Kawa no Kuni, One hour later…_

"There is no way a huge boulder is gonna keep us out!" Sakura exclaimed, tightening her glove threateningly. She prepared to knock the boulder down, and began channeling chakra through her hand.

She was about to start running towards their final barrier, where Pakkun confirmed the Akatsuki were, but Kakashi stopped her. He placed a hand on her hand gently, and brought back to her side. "Sakura, don't."

"But—"

"That tag up there is part of a Gofū Kekkai. The only way to destroy it is to rip off all five tags at the same time. Anything else will just cause harm to the intruder."

Just then, Team Gai arrived. They all recounted about what happened to them, and weren't so surprised that the other team were forced to go undergo similar trials to get this far. Gai had spotted the barrier as well, and knew what it meant.

"Neji, can you spot the other four seals?" Gai asked.

Before saying anything, Neji formed handseals and activated his bloodline. "Yes, I see them. The first is five-hundred meters Northeast, the second is located thee-hundred and fifty meters South by Southeast, six-hundred and fifty meters Northwest is the third one, and the final one is eight-hundred meters Southwest."

"VERY IMPRESSIVE, MY YOUTHFUL STUDENT!"

"Gai, we need to do this quickly."

"Fine, Kakashi." Gai replied. He pulled out five sets of wireless headsets and passed them out to both his team, and Kakashi.

Once everybody was fully equipped, they decided that Gai and his team would be the ones to head out and take off the other tags. Gai and Lee would take the furthest two, while Neji and Tenten would take the remaining ones.

"Alright, team LET'S GO!" Gai yelled, and they all separated.

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Well, there's that. I hope you guys liked the fight scenes; they'll be more to come. Now that I have brought this present to you guys, I want one in return—Reviews! So here's a couple things I'd like answered, if you guys could take the time.

Did you enjoy the fight scenes? Were they realistic?

Should I focus next chapter on the Team Gai VS Clones fights? If so, should I split it up between two chapters, one being Gai/Lee centric, and the other Neji/Tenten centric?

How should Team Kakashi split up to fight the Akatsuki?

Should I put translations for techniques at the end of my chapters, along with a description?


	6. The Gallery of Arts

Hey everybody, I'm glad you all enjoyed the previous chapter. I took into consideration what people answered for my reviews, and hopefully you all enjoy what happens. Well, with that said, on with Chapter Six! I hope everybody had a good Christmas. Happy New Year!

Disclaimer: Oh, by the way, I've forgotten to do this my other chapters. I don't own Naruto. End of story.

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_Kawa no Kuni, Akatsuki Hideout…_

Kakashi jumped up, and landed on the giant boulder, and stuck to its surface using chakra. He landed right above the fifth tag, which was the only thing keeping them from getting inside the cave. He adjusted himself so that he had one hand on the edge of the seal paper. He brought up his other hand up to his neck, and pressed on the small button.

"Gai. Are you in position?" He asked, releasing the button.

"Yes, my most hip rival, I am in position!" Gai replied loudly.

"YOSH! ME TOO GAI-SENSEI!"

"Sheesh, Lee, relax. I'm here too."

"I've reached my destination as well."

Kakashi smirked underneath his mask, not that anyone could see it, at his 'rivals' team. He had to admit, despite some of their quirks, they were quite a bunch of ninja. He looked over at his team, who were all gazing at him with worried expressions. "Alright then, everybody, on my mark. In three…two…one…now!"

Kakashi slipped his finger underneath the paper, and yanked on it, happy to see that the paper gave no resistance. He bounded off the cave, and watched as the barrier appeared visibly for a second, before shattering as its tags were removed.

"Kakashi. I don't think we'll be making it back in time…move on ahead."

The masked ninja was about to ask what was happening, but he heard static and common sounds of fighting. No matter how weird or awkward Gai was, Kakashi had faith in him to defeat any opponent that dared fight against the man. He wouldn't let himself die, it was just the way he was. He sighed, and looked over at his pink-haired student and gave her the signal to continue.

Sakura nodded, and pulled out her gloves. She put them on, and then adjusted them so that they were completely tight. She called upon her chakra, and focused it into her right fist. With a single punch, just like Tsunade had showed her, she would dismantle that boulder wall. She let a smirk grace her lips, for not many people could pull off what she could—it required the control of a topnotch medic.

She rushed forward, her long steps bringing her closer and closer to the barricade. As she reached a little over a meter away the chakra around her fist flared out, and she leaped forward. She brought her fist crashing into the stone, and released her chakra, which escaped in waves of power.

It started with a small dent, the size of Sakura's fist. Small cracks were surrounding the dent, and they soon began to spread. It was a slow progression at first, but the more area it covered, the faster it began to crack. Sakura altered her body so that she was sticking her feet to the stone.

Deciding to speed the process up even more, Sakura flooded chakra into her feet, using the principals of the Tree Walking exercise. The rush of chakra caused Sakura to be thrown off the boulder, while simultaneously adding to the damage.

Just as she landed, right beside Naruto, she watched her handiwork. The boulder crumbled from the power, and soon it was nothing more than a pile of manageable rocks of varying sizes. The next events seemed like a blur, Kakashi yelled for them to go in, and Naruto rushed in first roaring.

The first sight they saw nearly sent the group into a blind rage. There were not nine people, but only three—two of which were Akatsuki. The first one, Sasori, was standing next to his partner. Deidara found it to be comfortable to sit _on_ Gaara, who appeared to be sleeping.

"GAARA!" Naruto yelled, clenching his fists.

"So I take it this is the Kyūbi child Sasori no Danna, un?" Deidara said, looking over at his partner.

"It seems to be that way," Sasori replied in his gravelly voice, "let's get this over with."

Deidara huffed, obviously put out by his master's impatient attitude. He reached inside a pouch on his hip, and pulled out a small piece of clay. An opening on his mouth revealed itself, and a tongue wrapped around the clay, bringing it _inside_ the Deidara's hand.

A slurping sound came from the hand, and a few seconds later, and the hand spit out the clay; now it was in the shape of a bird. Deidara threw the clay bird up into the air, and made a handseal. The clay was engulfed in a cloud of smoke. The smoke quickly dispersed, and the same bird was flying above the blonde-haired man. The only difference was that it was bigger than the man himself.

"I'll leave this to you then, Sasori no Danna, un."

Deidara stood up, and the bird swooped down and swallowed Gaara into its gullet, only his legs sticking out. The Akatsuki member jumped onto the bird, and threw another piece of clay at the sealing. With a single handseal, with a cry, it exploded. He soon escaped through the hole.

"YOU BASTARD!" Naruto yelled out, blood seeping out from the cuts on his hands, which were caused by his claws that were forming. He was about to rush after Deidara, but he felt a strong hand wrap around his wrist.

He looked behind him, and saw Fū staring at him. Time seemed to slow down as he looked into her orange eyes, and he was able to control himself. His claws slowly reverted back into normal fingernails, and his eyes returned to their normal blue.

"Naruto-kun….be careful." She said.

The blonde couldn't say anything; he had too many emotions running through his mind at once. He did the best thing he could, and leaned forward. He placed his lips on the girl's forehead, hoping to convey his feelings to the girl.

"Kakashi. Sai. Follow me. Fū, stay here with Sakura and Chiyo." Naruto said, getting his head on straight and passing out orders.

The boy left no room for arguments, for he leapt into the air, intent on catching up to Deidara. Kakashi and Sai both followed suit, and jumped up. All three of them were alerted to danger by the sixth sense that was honed into them, and they were able to avoid a segmented tail coming from Sasori.

To everyone's surprise, especially Sasori, the three ninja used various parts of the tail as a springboard to elevate themselves further. They were able to barely catch the edges of the opening, and pulled themselves up. They weren't still for long, for as soon as they had all gotten their bearings, they were off to chase after the fleeting Akatsuki member.

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_With Naruto and Co…_

Naruto gripped a hold of the edge of the whole in the ceiling, and flipped out, landing solidly on the ground. He was quickly followed by both Sai and Kakashi, on his left and right respectively. The blonde haired jinchūriki looked up, and saw that Deidara was making his way through the air, still flying on his giant clay bird. He scanned the area, and found a chasm that went the same way with many places to jump from spot to spot.

He looked over at his support and motioned for them to follow. As they leaped off the cliff, Naruto caught sight of Gaara's legs hanging out of the bird mouth; and his anger was suddenly rekindled. An angry burst of chakra escaped his body, and a change overcame him. His cerulean blue eyes turned into an angry crimson, and his normal whisker marks looked as if somebody had gouged them out. He bared his fangs, and let out a vicious roar that got shake one's very soul.

Using the newly released ferocity, Naruto lunged with extra speed, leaving both Kakashi and Sai further behind him. The older ninja sighed, and yelled out to Naruto, "Yo, Naruto! Slow down!"

"I won't slow down, Kakashi-sensei! Gaara's counting on us!"

Deidara looked behind him, and saw that he was being pursued. He crumbled, and fed his both his hands a small glob of clay. A few seconds passed, and the blonde-haired Akatsuki member threw both molded pieces, directly at the pursuing ninja's. Just as they reached maximum speed, he made a single handseal and the projectiles both went up in smoke.

Fully grown creatures that appeared to be large caterpillars shot through the smoke; the first one aiming directly for Naruto, while the other was aiming for Kakashi and Sai. They made small clicking sounds as they soared through the air.

Kakashi, who had his Sharingan revealed, could see that the clay itself was filled with earth-natured chakra; meaning it was weak against lightning. He took a single kunai out, and channeled his chakra into it, manipulating his affinity. He threw the kunai with impressive strength, and the knife flew straight and true. It crackled with pent up energy, and it pierced the caterpillar between the eyes. The pale white creature soon turned into a dull brown, and fell to the ground.

Naruto was not as lucky as Kakashi. Not only did he not have the lightning affinity, he had no way of deducing the elemental affinities of the technique. He did, however, have the ingenious brain of a prankster. He formed the cross handseal, and a shadow clone appeared next to him; equally changed by the Kyūbi's chakra. Through silent communication, the clone grabbed a hold of Naruto's wrist, and when they jumped up, spun around. It flung the true Naruto forward, giving him the extra speed to get in front of the bomb.

"KATSU!" Deidara yelled, hoping that detonating it at that point would catch Naruto in the surrounding blast radius.

While it didn't do what the man had hoped for, the blast was sizable enough to disrupt Naruto's trajectory, and he was launched much further downward than he aimed for. He was forced to grab a hold of one of the lowest platforms, and swing around it. This maneuver launched him back to the upper levels.

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_With Fū and Co…_

Fū watched with hopeful eyes, praying to whatever god was listening, that Naruto would come back safe. She put those thoughts aside, deciding to give Naruto all her faith. She looked at the man in front of her, the man who would soon be hunting her. He was still hunched over, and his eyes looking at her menacingly. His metal tail swished back and forth, taunting the trio of the death it was hoping to bring.

"Chiyo-Baasama, what can you tell us about him?" Sakura asked, knowing that Chiyo would have the most knowledge about the man's fighting style and techniques.

"He's a puppeteer, and one of the best. He is capable of controlling multiple puppets efficiently. He learned the use of poisons from me, and has improved drastically, seeing what he did to Kankuro I have one piece of advice—don't get his by his weapons; they are all coated in his special poison!"

The younger girls nodded the affirmative, and they all prepared themselves. Fū brought her hand up to the red wrappings that crossed over her chest, and arranged it so that they were no longer crossed, but each one was on the correct shoulder. She wanted to be prepared for what was to come.

Sakura already had her gloves on, from breaking down the boulder, and just rechecked to make sure they were tight. She wiggled her fingers, and clenched her fist; satisfied with how it was adjusted. Her, along with the other two girls, were forced to jump out of the way.

Sasori's tail slammed down on his opponent's former spot, and was aggravated that he couldn't end this in one shot like he had hoped he would be able to be. He observed how they moved. Sakura and Chiyo had jumped with each other to one side, while the jinchūriki had jumped the opposite direction; alone. He brought his tail back in, and planned his next move.

Chiyo, on the other hand, was planning the team's next move. She grabbed a hold of three kunai, and connected them to thin chakra strings. She hurled the three knives with keen precision, and Sasori batted them away with his tail; exactly what Chiyo was hoping he would do. She took this opportunity to connect the chakra strings to her grandson's tail. The strings were thick enough to warrant some sort of control over the limb, but not thick enough for the man to notice them.

"Foolish move, Obaa-san, you truly believe such simple weaponry will be enough to take me out?" Sasori commented, his dark voice taunting the older ninja.

While he was momentarily distracted, Sakura hurled a multitude of weaponry; ranging from kunai to shuriken and even a few senbon. The puppeteer saw these weapons flying at him, and prepared to deflect them all. He felt an opposing tug on his tail, and saw that Chiyo was moving her hand. The momentary lapse in concentration forced Sasori to jump out of the way.

"Very good, I must say, disabling my tail; _hoping_ to land a hit," He said, stressing the word 'hoping', "but I'm afraid it's going to take more than that."

With that said, Sasori let his 'mouth' drop open, and released a barrage of poisonous needles. He had released them in quite a wide range, aiming to get all three of his enemies at once. He had especially released them in Fū's direction; making it so the girl had nowhere to run.

Chiyo saw what the man was planning, and thrusted forward all ten of her fingers towards the green-haired girl, launching ten chakra strings. She felt them make connection with the Jinchūriki's body, and she jumped up high. Using the free movement the air granted her, Chiyo heaved with all her strength upwards, bringing Fū into the air as well.

Sakura, using her training as a medic-nin to avoid being hit, she ducked and rolled underneath the senbon. She could feel the wind swish above her, a testament to the closeness of the needles. She looked up, and saw Sasori's tail heading straight for the mid-air duo; knowing that it left them with less than great maneuverability. The pinkette took this chance, and got up from her crouch and ran right at Sasori.

Sasori let chuckled, happy that he was finally going to be able to skewer his grandmother, as well as capture a Jinchūriki. Out of his peripherals, he saw the third member of their team running towards him at high speeds. He couldn't retract his tail quick enough to catch her, so he lifted his left arm, and a small explosion occurred. His arm, which contained a small explosive tag, shattered and launched all its poisonous shrapnel towards the medic.

Sakura threw herself into a side roll, letting all the weaponry pass by her harmlessly, and she continued her sprint. As she reached a meter away from Sasori, she channeled her chakra through her hand. Two more steps, and she was within range.

"HYAAA!"

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_Back with Naruto and Co…_

Naruto and Sai ran on either side of Kakashi, who had both his eyes closed and his hands held together in a concentration seal. The two younger ninjas could feel the chakra that was spiking off the older man and was wondering what he was planning. He had said he could potentially end this whole chase with a single technique, but that it needed time to prepare.

They were tasked with making sure Kakashi was not struck by any bombs, and it had been difficult to say the least. Apparently they weren't the only ones who could sense Kakashi's chakra, for Deidara had kept on them with explosives. Sai had been able to keep most of them at bay, using ink creatures to fly right into the bombs, setting them off prematurely.

Kakashi's eyes snapped open, and he was looking at Deidara with his Mangekyo Sharingan active, its pinwheel shape staring right at the blonde. Kakashi focused chakra into his newly revealed eye, and focused his entire concentration on Deidara. Waves of disruption could be visibly seen surrounding Deidara, focused on his chest.

"Wha—what the hell is this?" Deidara screamed, an uneasy feeling working its way into his chest. The air around him began feeling like it was closing in on him, an oppressive force fighting him.

Kakashi felt a massive strain overtake his brain, as well as his eyesight. With him running, coupled with Deidara flying on that bird, keeping his technique focused was a truly challenging task. The veins in his eyes burst, the red lines touching his pupils. His aim began to slide to the side, and he was able to bring it back to Deidara's arm.

The feeling intensified in his arm, and Deidara was close to screaming. He looked down and saw that his arm was blurred out by whatever technique Kakashi was preforming. A searing pain began on his arm, and he was horrified to see a small black hole opening up, all the distortion waves centering around it.

'_Kamui!'_

The hole's force intensified hundreds of times in a mere second, and Deidara howled in pain as he felt everything in his arm fill with pain. The black hole expanded for but a moment, and then slammed shut. Deidara tried to move his arm, but nothing. He looked down, and saw nothing. The sleeve of his cloak was shredded and blowing in the wind, but there was no sign of an arm.

The Akatsuki member was so absorbed with the loss of his arm, that he didn't notice Sai unraveling a scroll. The emotionless boy quickly drew a picture of a bird with a sharp beak, and preformed his jutsu. The bird flew off the scroll, and grew to full size. He shot forward, and cleaved one of the wings off of Deidara's own bird, causing it to spin out of control.

Naruto congratulated his teammates, and was overjoyed to see the man crash on the ground. They increased their speed, and jumped onto the side of the cliff. The three ninja, Naruto on point, rushed vertically up the cliff, in hopes they could catch the Akatsuki member and bring him in.

Just as Naruto reached the tip of the cliff, he heard Deidara yelling, and he jumped the rest of the way. He was greeted by the sight of a clay bird, much smaller in size, rushing right for his face. The blonde rushed through a series of seals.

"Fūton: Teimori no jutsu!"

Naruto held his hands in a cage formation, and the wind swirled around his hands, and in a second, he held and orb of wind between his hands. He removed his top hand, and thrusted the orb forward, letting it go. The second it left his grip, it lengthened into a spear shape, and shot right through the bird.

Naruto flipped through the air, and landed just as Kakashi and Sai ran up behind him. In front of them, Deidara stood heaving. His hair was undone from its typical ponytail, in a mess, and he had dirt covering his face. The mechanism on his left eye was shattered. He ripped the gadget from its spot, but kept his eye closed.

"You…you bastards!"

Deidara's visible eye was completely filled with madness, as though he had lost all shred of humanity. He shoved his remaining arm into his side pouch, and pulled out a decent sized piece of clay, to which he fed his remaining hand the whole thing. Before anyone could react, he held his palm into the air, and the mouth regurgitated a dragon shaped piece of clay.

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_With Fū and Co…_

A sound of shattering wood filled the cave, and there was a collective surprise around the group, they were shocked that they were able to destroy the puppet which Sasori prided himself on, and kept himself contained in. They figured it would have been much harder than that.

Sakura jumped backwards, landing near Fū and Chiyo, who had regrouped when she had made her mad dash towards Sasori. The three girls tensed themselves when they heard laughter, and the oldest ninja's eyes widened when she saw her grandchild.

Sasori stood there, a grin on his face. He was tall, and had a seemingly slender body frame. His red hair was long and shaggy, giving it a sort of messy appearance. He was wearing the standard Akatsuki cloak that all the members wore, and his nails were painted a teal color.

"He…he hasn't changed at all." Chiyo said, her mouth open in astonishment.

"What do you mean, Chiyo-Baasama?" Sakura asked.

"Sasori left our village twenty years ago, when he was still a teenager," She began, still eyeing her grandchild, "he looks the same, physically, as he did the day he left. He has not aged at all."

"That can't be possible, ya know? I mean…he's gotta be thirty something by now." Fū commented, distressed at the thought of somebody being immortal.

"Enough! As much as I enjoy the reunion, _Baa-chan_, it must end. Now."

There was a cloud of smoke accompanied by a popping sound, both characteristics of the summoning technique. The three girls tensed, preparing themselves for what was to come. When the smoke cleared away, Sasori was standing there, with a puppet hanging over his shoulder. It was garbed in a dark grey cloak.

"The Sandaime Kazekage!"

XXXXXXXX

Well there's chapter six. I'm breaking these fights up into two chapters; this one and the next. So the fight scenes will be over next chapter, and the Rescue Gaara arc will be over. I didn't want to update any later than this, so that's the reason for the split chapter. Until our next meeting, Have Fun!


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